Knitted fabric



May 8, 1945. H. H. HOLMES ETAL KNITTED FABRIC Filed Jan. 5, 1944 Attorney,

Patented May s, 1945 KNITTED FABRIC Henry Harold Holmes and Albert Henry Wid dowson, Leicester, England, assignors to Wildt and Company Limited, Leicester, England, a

British company Application January 3, 1944, Serial No. 516,789 In Great Britain January 4, 1943 Claims. (Ci. 66-180) This invention appertains to knitted fabric containing improved effects hereinafter to be described.

The expression ,knitted fabric" is to be regarded generically as. including not only fabric produced in continuous lengths such as for manis of solid colour, being composed of both the main or ground yarn, which can be identified by shading similar to that in the stripes e, and splicing yarn in every course represented by the straight lines f. From this it will be understood 1 that where the main or ground yarn forms ufacture subsequently into garments, but also hosieryespecially half hose, three-quarter hose, sports hose and socksand other knitted articles or garments, or garment lengths.

In this respect there is, at present, a demand for seamless half hose with horizontally striped area, knitted together without bulky joins.

In an article of hosiery the said section may comprise the foot portion, and, if desired, there may be a similar section including a high spliced area in the ankle portion of the article, i. e., above the heel.

By fully spliced is meant that in the area concerned the splicing is continuous in a walewise' direction, i. e., there are no intervening courses without spliced stitches.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of knitted fabric produced in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 shows an enlarged portion of the fabric, and

Figure 3 shows a fancy half hose constituting a feature of the invention.

Figure 1 depicts in purely diagrammatic fashion and by way of example a portion of fabric produced in accordance with this invention. In this example there are coursewise adjoining sections a and b, the section a consisting of horizontal striping effects composed of the main or ground yarn only with which are interspersed partial courses of striping yarns, and the section 1) consisting wholly of both main or ground yarn and splicing yarn. That is to say, in the striped section a the closely shaded portions 0 stripes in-the section a, it also extends coursewise throughout the section b conjointly with the splicing yarn,'but elsewhere is, like the splicing yarn, restricted to the section b. In this fabric there is an overlapping join only at the places g and g where the ends of the coloured stripes c and d meet the ends of the ground yarn. An example of the loop structure at one of the joins g is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 2 wherein the ground yarn m is represented by thick lines and a striping yarn c is indicated by thin lines. In this particular example the two yarns m and c are interknitted in a plurality of wales w to make a fast join. Preferably (as shown) the splicing yarn s, indicated by broken lines, is knitted in with the other two yarns at the join so as to extend from the first of the wales 10 at one side of the section b. to the corresponding wale (not shown) at the opposite side of the section, and so that it also extends throughout a corresponding number of wales in the courses 0 in which the main yarn forms stripes as aforesaid, and there is no join. If, as is mainly the intention, the fabric is circular knitted, then each of the sections will form substantially half of the tubethe effects c, d and e in that case constituting hall round striping.

The invention includes as a feature, a fancy half hose, sock or like article with an instep portion including horizontal stripes, each consisting of a course or courses of a, main or ground yarn, with which are interspersed co-extensive stripes of other yarn or yarns, and a foot bottom of solid colour composed of both a main or. ground yarn and a splicing yarn, from which it will be understood that where the main or and (1 represent horizontal colour stripes, e. g.,

knitted of different coloured yarns respectively,

ground yarn forms stripes it also extends coursewise throughout the foot bottom conjointly with the splicing yarn, and elsewhere is, like the splicing yarn, restricted to the foot bottom.

In such an article the instep and foot bottom may be knitted ribbed and plain respectively. Advantageously the article concerned may be produced automatically in a continuous manner on a circular knitting machine of the double axially opposed, e. g., superimposed, needle cylinder type. On such a machine can be produced a half hose, sock or like article with a welt, 1 x 1 ribbed top, a ribbed or plain leg (as with the efl'ects hereinbeiore set forth, and, by

reciprocatory knitting, a heel and toe, either plain, tipped, or part tipped. An article containing the effects described may, however, be produced on a circular rib knitting machine, e. g'., of the cylinder anddial type wherein the needles are prearranged and operated so as to enable either a plain instep and foot bottom or a ribbed instep and plain foot bottom to be knitted.

A specific example of a fancy half hose embodyingthe invention is shown in Figure 3. As will be seen, this half hose, which is produced automatically in a continuous manner as aforesaid, comprises a welt w, a 1 x 1 or other rib top rt, a broader ribbed leg rl of ground yarn patterned with all round colour stripes es and as, a foot comprising a ribbed instep ri striped with half round stripes hrs and hrs and a plain fully spliced sole or foot bottom It), a spliced-heel sh and a spliced toe st. Immediately above the heel sh there is a high, half-round fully spliced area hs. All of the spliced areas in the half hose are, of course, composed both of the ground yarn and a splicing yarn incorporated in every course.

Both in the ribbed leg and the ribbed instep portion the round yarn itself forms stripes which are interspersed with the colour stripes. If desired, and as shown, the spliced toe st is formed with a striped tip t. If desired, one of, the guides may be utilized to supply a rubber thread so that the knitted fabric or article may include an elastic insertion. i

What we claim then is:

1. Knitted fabric wherein there are, coursewise, adjoining sections, one consisting of horizontal striping effects composed of a main yarn only with which are interspersed partialcourses each composed of a single striping yarn, and the other consisting wholly of the main yarn and a splicing yarn, the main yarn being continuous throughout the two sections.

2. An article :of hosiery having an instep portion consisting of horizontal striping eflects composed of a main yarn only with which are inter.- spersed partial courses each composed of a single striping yarn, and an adjoining toot bottom consisting wholly of the main yarn and a splicing yam,'the main yarn being continuous throughout said instep portion and foot bottom.

3. A fancy article of hosiery including a ribbed leg patterned with all roundhorizontal striping eflects, a ribbed instep section consisting of horizontal stripping eflects composed of a main yarn only with which are interspersed partial courses each'composed of a single striping yarn, and a plain fully spliced foot bottom consisting wholly of the main yarn and a splicing yarn, the main yarn being continuous throughout said instep portion and foot bottom.

4. A fancy article of hosiery including a ribbed 1' leg patterned with all round horizontal stripping effects, a ribbed instep section consisting of horizontal striping effects composed of a main yarn only with which are interspersed partial courses each composed of a single striping yarn, a plain fully spliced foot bo'ttom consisting wholly of the mainyarn and a splicing yarn, the main yarn be ing continuous throughout said instep portion and foot bottom, and an ankle portion including a half round striped section and a high splice section formed similarly to the aforesaid instep section and the foot bottom.

5. Knitted fabric according to claim 1, wherein, where the ends of the striping yarn meet the ends of the main yarn these yarns are interknitted into a plurality of wales to form joins, the splicing yarn being also knitted in with the other two yarns at the two joins so as to extend from the first wale of the join at one side of the appropriate section to the corresponding wale at the opposite side of the said section, and so that it extends throughout a corresponding number, of wales in the courses wherein there are no joins.

HENRY HAROLD HOLMES. ALBERT HENRY WIDDOWSON. 

